Any Doubt
by knightshade
Summary: Jack’s cranky and in pain, but Teal’c thinks he has the answer.


Title: Any Doubt  
Author: knightshade  
Rating: PG  
Spoilers: None

Summary: Jack's cranky and in pain, but Teal'c thinks he has the answer.

Disclaimer: MGM and Gekko. Not me.

**Any Doubt**

Jack let out a sigh and stood again for the third time in half an hour, unable to sit comfortably on the ground by their makeshift camp. He'd taken a nasty spill down the ramp after diving through the gate on the previous mission and had wrenched his shoulder. Nothing was seriously damaged, but it still hurt like hell. He'd thought it was on the mend when they'd gotten this mission and the doc had agreed, but three nights of sleeping on the ground had made him stiff and irritable. The pain had started migrating into the muscles around his shoulder, spreading out like the plague.

"You okay, sir? Carter asked, warming her hands around a little aluminum coffee cup in front of the sterno cooking stove.

"Been better."

"Your shoulder?" Daniel asked.

"No. My foot!" he spat, feeling frustrated and there was no better target when he was frustrated than Daniel. He always managed to walk right into Jack's ire. Hell, half the time he leapt into it.

"There's no reason to take my head off, Jack," Daniel said, picking at the crackers in his MRE.

"Sorry. Pain makes me a little cranky."

"You don't say."

Jack turned on him but the movement sent another sharp stab through his whole back. He gave up the argument and rested his forehead against the trunk of one of the odd trees that covered this planet, weighing the merits of beating his head against it. A bad headache might let him forget about his shoulder.

"O'Neill, perhaps I can be of some assistance," Teal'c said from his position near the stove. "My people have a method for dealing with over-extended muscles in the back."

Jack cocked his head. "And what method would that be, besides having Junior cure it?" He wasn't sure he wanted to know. It probably involved a lot of pain.

"A symbiote does indeed heal muscle strain, O'Neill, but it takes time. I am speaking of a particular adjustment of the muscles in the back to bring them back into alignment."

"Like chiropractics?" Daniel asked.

"Perhaps."

"So how come you didn't mention this before?" Jack asked, rubbing his neck.

"I did not think it necessary when you were under Dr. Fraiser's care, but you are still in pain. I could perform the procedure on your shoulder now if you'd like."

"Please do," Daniel interjected.

Jack glared at him. "Teal'c, no offense, but isn't Jaffa physiology just a bit different than human physiology? I mean, you guys seem to have bigger muscles. Much bigger muscles. And there's that whole living into your hundreds thing."

"I believe it will translate, O'Neill."

"You believe?"

"Yes."

"What could it hurt, sir?" Carter suggested, shrugging.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe _my shoulder_? Why do I have this image in my head of me rolling on the ground in pain after letting a Jaffa _crack my back_."

"Do you not trust me, O'Neill?"

Oh, now that was just plain unfair. Jack glared at Daniel and Carter for not backing him up. "It's not that, Teal'c. You know I trust you. I just don't like chiropractors."

"I am not a chiropractor."

"Right." Jack threw up his one good hand, coming to the frustrating realization that he was not going to win this argument. "Fine. Okay. Adjust away."

"You will need to sit cross-legged, O'Neill."

"Now, see, there's problem number one." Jack sat and made a production out of trying to cross his legs.

"That will be sufficient," Teal'c said, short circuiting his argument.

Jack reluctantly sat up straight. It didn't look like he had much of a choice. Teal'c knelt behind him, leaving Jack to wonder what he was doing. It wasn't like Teal'c didn't owe him several practical jokes by now. For all he knew, Teal'c was making funny faces at Carter and Daniel and plotting some sort of revenge.

One strong hand fell onto his shoulder just to the right of his neck. Then he felt Teal'c's fist against his back just to the right of his spine. Oh, this was not going to be good. "You're not about to do some sort of Vulcan Neck Pinch on me, are you?" Jack asked, craning his head around to get a glimpse of Teal'c's face.

"Vulcan?"

"Never mind. It's...never mind."

"O'Neill, I will not harm you."

"I know."

"You must relax."

"Right. Relaxing on cue." Jack closed his eyes so that he wouldn't have to look at Daniel and Carter staring at him. "I'm ready whenever you-"

A sharp, splitting crack reached his ears before his body registered the associated pain that went coursing up and down his spine. "Ahhhhhhhhhhh," he groaned, trying to roll onto his side while trying not to actually whimper, but Teal'c was holding him upright.

"Sir?!" Carter asked, her eyes bright blue dinner plates.

"Jack? Are you okay?" Daniel chimed in.

Jack's hands balled into fists. "Teal'c? What did I do to you? Is this one of those Jaffa revenge things? Or is this where you make my whole back hurt so that I forget about the pain in my shoulder?"

"Patience, O'Neill. There is some pain involved in the procedure."

"Now you tell me?! After all that you left out the part about the searing pain!"

Jack pressed his hands against his eyes, but the pain was actually going away -- much quicker than he expected. He took in a few deep breathes and then experimentally stretched his back. It felt a little looser. He gave his shoulder a slow, experimental roll, and then twisted at the waist to stretch the muscles all the way down his back. He had to admit, he was starting to feel a lot better.

"Sir?"

"Are you okay?" Daniel asked.

Jack slowly got to his feet and rolled his neck.

"O'Neill?"

"Yeah, Teal'c?"

"Are you feeling better?"

Jack closed his eyes and then swung his arms carefully, feeling out the range of motion in his shoulder. Then he glanced around at his three teammates. Daniel and Carter were still looking worried. Teal'c was looking…well, like Teal'c. "Of course, I'm feeling better." Then he shrugged, cocking his head to the side in practiced nonchalance. "Was there ever any doubt?"

-------------------  
-knightshade  
March 23, 2007


End file.
